Tom Grilk started his career as a business lawyer. However, he made the ultimate shift from working for what he described as a profit-making enterprise to being a part of two organizations that shared a similar focus: caring about people.
“I was a business lawyer for a long time, putting transactions together here and there around the U.S. and the world,” Grilk said.
It was through his work in a law office that he made his connection to running. “I took up running just to get some exercise and manage stress and tension,” he said. Grilk continued that a man who worked at his law firm, Larry Newman, was not only a runner, but also a track and field meet announcer. Newman would end up being the Boston Marathon’s first-ever finish line announcer along with Grilk’s wife, Nancy.
“I would run with him, and a number of us in the law firm would go run together. We ran with some of the best runners in the world at the time, the likes of Bill Rogers, Greg Meyer, Alberto Salazar, Joan Benoit Samuelson,” he said.
Grilk himself would eventually qualify for the marathon. However, Newman wanted to return to running, so Grilk would take over as finish line announcer. He’d hold the position for 35 years.
“That then brought me into contact with the Boston Athletic Association. I became a member of the Board of Governors, an ancient organization that goes back to 1887,” he said
He would spend seven years on the board, but in 2011, there was a need for someone to fill the position of running things day to day, and that need was filled by Grilk.
“There was nothing left for me to do in law, and being president of the BAA is a very who gets to do this kind of situation,” he said.
Grilk was sitting at the helm of the BAA when the Boston Marathon bombings occurred. There, he saw firsthand the way the community rallied after the tragedy and how it had brought people together in “profound ways.”
“In the very moment of it, people jumped in to help, who sensibly shouldn’t have done that,” Grilk said. “There were two explosions. The police were saying, ‘Get out of here, get out of here.’ But some people just didn’t leave. They jumped in, tore down barriers, and took steps that saved lives that probably otherwise would have been lost.”
He explained that EMS had to get through control barriers, and the minute the bombs went off, the team immediately reacted. Grilk said, “They can’t get there until they can tear those barriers down. Meanwhile, people are bleeding on the street. Who’s taking care of them? Just people who were there.”
From there, EMS was able to get through, and according to Grilk, those injured were immediately rushed to the hospital. The work of civilians and EMS had been incredible that day, he expressed
Grilk’s next career leap was working with the Cummings Foundation as a member of the Final Grant Selection Committee.
The program gives away $30 million in grants every year, with the funds being shared by 150 local-area nonprofits that can be paid over either a three or 10-year period, according to the Cummings Foundation website. Grilk’s job is to help decide which programs get money from the grants.
When asked how he got involved with the foundation, he said, “It was through one of my old pals, Bob Keefe…We were having lunch one day, and he said, ‘You know, you ought to be involved in this other thing.’ I said, ‘Well, alright.’”
“There’s a scoring process that goes on. There are guiding principles and criteria. It’s these core principles that matter a lot,” he said.
These principles include making sure no one is left behind, meeting the most basic needs of people, and bringing the furthest behind forward first.
“It’s a very good process, but a lot of thought and care goes into it. People are very committed, and it’s enjoyable…The foundation draws people in who are interested and want to do good things,” he said.
He continued that there is nothing simple about the process and that he watched so many people get deeply involved and want to delve in fully with the understanding that what they were doing was important work.
“You don’t just walk in saying, ‘Oh, I like this one. I like that one.’ You study these things. You read the reports. You schedule visits with the place. We measure it against others and try to see the real impact they make. I was really struck by the whole thing,” he said.
Grilk emphasized that the process was one that held weight and made you understand that you were making a huge decision for a group of people. “It’s such a big deal to these people; it’s something that enhances or diminishes their ability to advance, do more, and help more people,” he said.
Though decisions could be difficult to make, Grilk knew it was something he wanted to be a part of because it would make a real impact on the lives of many.
